


ICU In My Dreams

by AKUMA_jpg



Category: (여자)아이들 | (G)I-DLE
Genre: Alternate Universe - Doctors, Another MiMin fic because I miss them, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:15:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27721975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKUMA_jpg/pseuds/AKUMA_jpg
Summary: Ah, Cho Miyeon, the oldest out of all of them. She was the chief executive officer’s daughter, her dad owning the whole building they worked in. Minnie had known Miyeon for a long time, they went to the same college. Miyeon was an interesting girl, instead of choosing to work for a private institution as an ophthalmologist—where she’d probably get paid more—she chose to work under her dad, she chose to work with Minnie.Maybe that was something Minnie really admired about Miyeon, her willingness to help out everyone around her. Or maybe it was that she had fallen for her already in junior year of college. That’s right, Kim Minnie was in love with her best friend of 6 years. How could she not? Miyeon was such a beautiful person. Even after her graveyard shift where she looked all disheveled and passed out on her office couch—to Minnie, she was perfect.
Relationships: Cho Miyeon/Minnie Nicha Yontararak, Jeon Soyeon/Song Yuqi, Seo Soojin/Yeh Shuhua
Comments: 20
Kudos: 161





	1. "I could name all the causes of a heart attack but I can't explain why my heart is feeling that way about you"

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooooooooooooo, I'm back with another MiMin fic because I missed them too much. Hope you like it :) And yes, all the titles are going to be corny doctor pickup lines lol

“Wow, that shot didn’t even hurt! I didn’t even cry this time!” The 6-year-old beamed at Minnie, the woman giving her a vaccine. 

“I’m so proud of you, Chaeyoung. You know what?”

“What?”

“You can have this  _ super _ special lollipop for being such a strong girl.”

“Really!?” The way she smiled at her made Minnie’s heart nearly explode in her chest. This kid was too damn cute. 

“Now why don’t you pick one out while I talk to your eomma real quick. How does that sound?”

“Thank you, Dr.Kim, you’re the best!” She gave her another eye smile before methodically digging through Minnie’s secret candy stash she keeps in her desk. 

“Thank you, Dr.Kim.” Chaeyoung’s mom, Sana, bowed politely. 

“No problem, just doing my job.” She smiled back. “Now circling back to the data growth chart, it doesn’t seem like Chaeyoung’s gonna grow past 5’3”.” 

Sighing, “It’s okay, she already acts like she’s 6’4”.”

Laughing, “Enthusiasm is always good. Believe me, for what Chaeyoung lacks in height, she makes up in spirit.”

“That’s good to hear. Her mother, Tzuyu, is very tall and every day Chaeyoung brags about how she’s going to outgrow her one day.” Sana smiled tiredly, her daughter was one wild kid—one with big dreams.

“Just let her have her fun for now, it won’t take much longer before she realizes. But for now, make sure she’s eating all her veggies and drinking enough water. Other than that, everything seems fine, Chaeyoung is a healthy girl.” She said in her professional doctor’s voice. 

“Thank you again, you truly are the best.”

“Until next time,” she waved the mother and daughter pair out as they left. Chaeyoung gripping a hot pink wrapped candy in her hand, showing it off to her mother.

Slumping back in her chair, she loved her job but she’d be lying if she said it wasn’t tiring. Chaeyoung was one of the good ones, having been her family doctor for 2 years now. But with others, she’s been less fortunate, not everyone was as well behaved as her. Kids pulling on her hair, crying, and begging not to get shots were normal occurrences by now. 

Finally checking her phone, she sees messages from her co-workers, inviting her to lunch. So she stands, straightening out the wrinkles on her white coat, walking in the general direction of the cafeteria. 

“Yah! Kim Minnie! Over here!” She hears a rather familiar voice call out for her in the middle of all the semi-crowded tables in the eating area. Taking her tray of surprisingly tasty hospital food over to the table where four girls already sat. 

“How’s it been so far? Not too rough?” Her senior at the hospital, Soyeon asked. Jeon Soyeon’s been at the hospital longer than all of them, being an experienced trauma surgeon in the critical care department. 

“Ahh, nothing I can’t handle. I’m just tired in general.” She waved off the younger girl’s concerns.

“I feel you unnie, can’t remember the last time I’ve gotten a full 6 hours of sleep.” The cardiothoracic surgeon, Yeh Shuhua, relates. Being the youngest out of all of them, fresh from Seoul National University medical school, Yeh Shuhua earned the nickname “magic touch”; with her insane precision and focus in the operating room and chaotic, idiosyncratic personality outside of it—she was an interesting character. 

“Yah, Shu scoot over. You’re too close.” The third oldest, Seo Soojin, complained. Soojin was the typical description of a tsundere. She was blunt and cold to the touch on the outside, but on the inside, she was soft and warm. She proved that every time she went out of her way to take care of her friends: leaving little tips and notes on time management on Minnie’s desk, bringing Soyeon back to reality with meaningful advice from time to time, occasionally making lunches for Shuhua—knowing the younger sometimes skips meals when she’s too busy to be bothered—and helping Yuqi remember certain facts about the human body, prepping her before every conference she’s attended (not that many). 

Speaking of Song Yuqi, the girl that called her over to their table in the first place. She seemed to be more interested in her phone screen than her lunch. 

“Yuqi-ah, eat.” Minnie reminded. Yuqi was still a junior surgeon, coming right out of an internship. Yuqi was originally trained in Shanghai but was presented with the opportunity to transfer to Korea, and at one of their best hospitals too. “Breaks not that long, don’t want you griping about how hungry you are later.”

“Hold on, I’m texting Miyeon-unnie.” She stated bluntly, eyes still trained on the screen, tongue peeking out the corner of her mouth. “She just got out of her meeting.”

Ah, Cho Miyeon, the oldest out of all of them. She was the chief executive officer’s daughter, her dad owning the whole building they worked in. Minnie had known Miyeon for a long time, they went to the same college. Miyeon was an interesting girl, instead of choosing to work for a private institution as an ophthalmologist—where she’d probably get paid more—she chose to work under her dad,  _ she chose to work with Minnie _ . 

“Sorry I’m late, that meeting on for  _ way _ too long.” Speak of the devil, Miyeon plopped down next to Soyeon—across from Shuhua, Soojin, and her. 

“Ah Miyeon-unnie, I was meaning to schedule an appointment with you. My eyesight’s gotten really bad these days.” Shuhua leaned over, going so far as to squint in her direction. 

  
“I told you not to play too many video games.” Soojin scolded, rolling her eyes.

“We can take a look at my office after lunch, Shu.” Miyeon answered, pulling her wooden chopsticks apart with a snap. 

Maybe that was something Minnie really admired about Miyeon, her willingness to help out everyone around her. Or maybe it was that she had fallen for her already in junior year of college. That’s right, Kim Minnie was in love with her best friend of 6 years. How could she not? Miyeon was such a beautiful person. Even after her graveyard shift where she looked all disheveled and passed out on her office couch—to Minnie, she was perfect. 

Feeling her work phone go off in her pocket, Minnie up and answers it while the girls are conversing about some new drama that was airing.

“Hello?”

“Dr.Kim, the Choi’s are in the waiting room.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize they had scheduled an appointment. I’m in the middle of eating lunch but I’ll be up there shortly.”

“I will relay the news.”

“Bye.”

“What was that?” Yuqi inquired, stabbing her chopsticks through another kimbap. 

“Didn’t realize I had a scheduled appointment, I got to go.”

“Awww, but I just got here. I barely got to see you” Miyeon pouted. 

“Miyeon-ah, we’re neighbors.” She deadpanned. They lived across the hall from each other, Miyeon’s unit being 2 times the size of hers—perks of coming from a well off family and being an only child. “I see you every day.”

“Yeah but I tried to come over yesterday and you didn’t answer your door.” Her pout growing deeper. 

“It was 3 am!” 

“Fine, I’ll try to come at a more  _ reasonable _ time then.” She made air quotes with her fingers.

“See you later, Minnie-unnie.” Soojin said goodbye as all the other girls waved at her retreating steps.

Gliding through the fluorescently lighted hallways, the smells of rubbing alcohol and antiseptic burn her nostrils. There was a small family of three sitting in the waiting lobby, a father, a mother, and a teary-eyed little boy. 

“Doctor Kim!” The mother jumped to her feet, rushing Minnie. “Oh thank god you’re here.”

“Mrs.Choi, is everything all right?” Her eyebrows furrowed at the sudden contact from the other woman. 

“Bambam just so happened to swallow a lego.”

“Oh, that’s not good.” She looked at the little boy sitting next to his father. Bambam was only 3 and she understood the full severity of the current situation. 

Rushing the boy to a screening room, checking his vital signs, making sure he wasn’t feeling much discomfort, and taking an x-ray. Kids swallowing things—toys, coins, random household items—wasn’t anything new. But that knowledge seldom did anything to calm the parents down. Mr.Choi looked like he came straight from work, still in a suit and tie, holding his son protectively as Minne said she’d be right back with a diagnosis. 

“It seems that Bambam isn’t feeling any pain or irritation. I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do but wait for him to… _ pass _ it. For now, you can try and give him laxatives and check to see if it comes out in his stool.”

The young parents letting out a relieved sign, sitting back in their seats. 

“And if it doesn’t come out, we’ll have to set special procedures. But relatively speaking, it’s uncommon for that to happen considering he swallowed a rather small lego.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Doctor Kim.” Mr.Choi thanked, picking up young Bambam and placing him on his hip. 

“Bye-bye, Minnie-noona.” Bambam waved at her with his small hand. 

“Bye-bye Bambam, and remember, Legos are not food.”

Residing back to her office to fill out paperwork for the next 5 hours, she was beat. Staring into the mirror near her coat hanger, her eye bags got deeper. 

_ You’re not getting any younger, Kim Minnie. _ She reminded herself, hanging up her coat and rolling up the sleeves of her dress shirt—she was only 24. Her office was small and quaint, but it had personality. In the middle of the room was the modern grey couch Yuqi bought her for her last birthday, across from it was a small bookshelf—half-filled with books, half-filled with picture frames. 

Pictures of her and her family during her high school graduation, pictures of her and her friends from Thailand (Lisa, Sorn, Ten, just to name a few), pictures of her with her friends from the hospital, and pictures of her with Miyeon. Miyeon hadn’t aged a bit since college, the same brilliant beauty painted her features. Fingers brushing over one of her personal favorites, a photograph of the two from Miyeon’s 22nd birthday. Minnie harboring a whole bottle of champagne, brandishing a nice Asian glow, and the older girl with a cheap plastic birthday crown on her head. God, she was grinning like an idiot in that picture, and Miyeon…well she looked ethereal (like always).

Snapping out of her reverie, she packed up for the day. Elated to go home to her bed and tv, she had never wanted to leave her office faster. 

_Oh shit, it’s raining._ She glanced outside to the dark and frosty glaze covering her office windows. _I didn’t bring an umbrella._ _Guess I’ll have to brave it until I get to my car._ She pulled her trenchcoat over her head and slung her bag over her back, about to run across the wet parking lot.

“Minnie-ssi?” A sweet voice uttered by the hospital’s sliding doors. Miyeon was standing near the back exit, with a cigarette hanging loosely from her lips, emitting the smallest puff of smoke as she spoke. “What are you doing? You’re going to get wet.”

“I forgot my umbrella,” was all she could say before the older girl looped their arms together, pulling her under the small umbrella she was using. 

“Minnie pabo-ya, I told you to keep one in your office.”

“I forgot,” she whined, but it was no use, nothing could help her escape from Miyeon’s scolding. 

“Where are you heading, I’ll walk you there.”

“You really don’t need to—”

“You’re gonna catch a cold.”

“What about you, standing out in the rain in the first place.” She retorted.

“Well, what do you want me to do? Smoke inside the hospital?” She responded, her once sweet voice now dripping in sarcasm. 

“I don’t know, do that in your own home.” Her cheeks started to heat up, Miyeon was really close to her, trying her best to prevent Minnie from getting hit by the offending rain. 

“Here, this is your car right?” 

They were at the foot of her old Kia Sudan, it’s exterior gleaming in fresh rain. Apart of her was sad that they were parting, not wanting to say goodbye so soon. 

“You’re coming over later right?” Minnie asked boldly.

“Am I?”

“Are you?”

“I didn’t know I was invited,” Miyeon smiled at her, her cigarette wilting to a smaller shape and lighting up their faces with its faint glow. Even after 6 years of being best friends, being this close to Miyeon never got easier. She still felt like the stupid young adult she was in college, whipped for her best friend.

“Y-you said you wanted to come over earlier today. We can watch a movie or something.”

“Have you eaten?”

“Huh?” What a weird question to ask.

“Have you eaten?” She restated, in a louder voice, in case she didn’t hear.

“N-no.”

“I’ll bring food then. Take-out.” She slapped her back as Minnie got into the driver’s seat, finally finding enough courage to pull away from her. 

“Okay.”

“It’s a date then.” She was leaning on the door frame of her opened car, looking down at Minnie. Turning her head briefly to let out a swell of smoke from her lips.

“Sure,” she tried to not sound like she was dying at the chance to spend time alone with Miyeon.

“Goodbye, Minnie-ah.”

“See you.” She closed her door, watching Miyeon turn her back to her view, walking back into the building clad in her professional white coat. 

_ Never a dull moment around Cho Miyeon, huh? _ She prayed she could keep it together for the night. But then again, she had done it for 6 years, what was one more…right? 


	2. "Are you my appendix? Cause I have a gut feeling I should take you out"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't really had much time to write these days, over flooded with school work and other hobbies. BUT here I am :) Enjoy!

**“ICU In My Dreams”**

**CHAPTER 2**

The walk from her car to her front door felt oddly long like time was slowed as she pressed the elevator button up to the 6th floor. Walking down her now unusually long hallway to fiddle with her hands before typing in the keycode to her front door. Being greeted with the dim light she left on before leaving that morning and a small black cat sitting on her countertop. 

“Yejin-ah! I’m home!” She dropped her bags at the door, proceeding to pick up her small cat and hug him close to her chest. Yejin was literally the only reason Minnie looked forward to coming home. Sure she said she had her bed and TV, but how long would it take for her to get bored? Not very long. 

Yejin was initially a street kitten she found outside of a convenience store about a year ago. She went on a cigarette run—what a horrible habit Miyeon had picked up. She had requested her to get a pack since she didn’t want to get caught in the rain and Minnie just so happened to be out already. Hiding in a little milk crate near the outside corner of the store sat a small black cat. Its little ears poking out of an old worn towel. How could she not take him home? 

Wrapping him up in her jacket and walking into the pet shop down the street she purchased an unhealthy amount of cat toys and goods. Yejin was hers, he was home. Finally putting him down, he retreated to his luxurious cat tower placed on the side of her living room. 

Her apartment wasn’t anything special, small and bare, she only kept a couple house plants and modern minimal pieces of furniture around. Other than that, it was very simple; she didn’t really own a lot of possessions. The only thing moderately expensive she owned was her keyboard, and she had barely any time to play these days. Going into her bedroom, she changed out of her work clothes and into a large purple sweater and sweat pants. 

Head halfway through the sweatshirt hole and she heard a knock at her door. She knew it was Miyeon, only Miyeon would knock on her door when she had a perfectly functioning doorbell. It was just a Cho Miyeon thing, one of her many quirks; she never stepped in puddles, not even as a kid, she never smoked the last cigarette in the pack, she would just throw it away, and she would sometimes cut the crusts off bread to eat and then throw away the rest of the slice. She was a very odd person, one that Minnie couldn’t help falling for time and time again. 

“Hello Ms.Kim,” she smiled goofily, take out in hand.

“Hi, Miyeon.” She stepped aside and let the older girl into her home. 

“Your place is so boring, is this the payment for having Yejin around. I told you to stop buying so many cat toys and buy some furniture with  _ color _ .”

“Excuse me, I happen to like my apartment.” She defended. 

“Well anyways, you’re house is still homier than my unit.”

“And why is that?” Minnie was unpacking the fried chicken Miyeon brought, laying the food out on her small dining table near the open kitchen. 

“I don’t know, no matter how much stuff I fill my place with it still feels empty. But when I’m here it feels different.”

“Because it’s smaller.” Minnie was still arranging the utensils on napkins and moving to get beer from her fridge.

“No, because you’re here.” 

Turning her head over her shoulder to take a good look at Miyeon to make sure she wasn’t already drunk and, no, she wasn’t. Normally the eye doctor had a tendency to get cheesy when she was tipsy, but this wasn’t the case. 

“What makes you say that.” She turned her attention back to the small drink selection on the shelves of her empty fridge. 

“I don’t know, it’s just that I find myself knocking on your door more often than spending time in my own apartment.”

“Maybe you’re just getting old,” Minnie said, giving in to Miyeon’s odd tangent. Finally deciding on a nice Ashai Super Dry beer, taking too large cans for the both of them. 

“That too,” Miyeon accepted the alcohol Minnie was so graciously handing her. She wasn’t wrong, Miyeon coming over after work with food and sometimes drinks was a normal occurrence these days. Minnie would even joke sometimes that she lived here, little remembrances of her laying around when she’s gone. Like one of the many hoodies she kept leaving at her place, the small DVD collection she kept of her favorite movies sitting by Minnie’s TV, and the little notes she leaves on Minnie’s fridge—reminding her to eat or feed Yejin. 

“Everyone around me is falling in love.” Miyeon sits down across Minnie, grabbing a pair of chopsticks. 

“Hmm?” Her mouth already full of chicken, but she digressed. 

“Like Shuhua and Soojin, those two, the families you treat, don’t you ever think about a life with someone by your side?”

_ A life with you. _ “Hmm.” She was trying to look more interested in her chicken bone rather than this conversation. 

“Maybe I should start dating again—”

That was cue for Minnie to choke on the beer she was taking a swig from, coughing up a lung trying to process what her long time crush had just said to her.

“W-why would you do that?” Miyeon handed her a napkin.

“I’m not getting any younger,” she said waving her chopsticks around, “I am turning 25 this year.” 

“You s-still have time, you’re not turning 50!” 

“Do you think you’d ever want kids?”

“Yah, don’t change the topic, Cho Miyeon.” She wanted to get to the bottom of this now.

“What’s so wrong with me starting to date again?” She started up.

In actuality, there was nothing wrong with it. Miyeon and her weren’t  _ bound _ together, they were nothing but friends. That’s what she hated the most, that she couldn’t woman up and confess—even after all these years. In the past, she had witnessed Miyeon date two other people, Jinhyeong in her freshman year, and Sana in Junior. 

Jinhyeong was the textbook bad boy, he was in a band and even had a hoop earring on one ear. That was when Miyeon was  _ bisexual _ instead of just coming out of the closet. Needless to say, Jinhyeon was not Minnie’s favorite, he would always be looking at other girls and Miyeon wouldn’t even notice. 

Sana was different, back then before she settled down with her now-wife, Chou Tzuyu, her and Miyeon were campus sweethearts. But the thing was, she and Miyeon were very similar. It didn’t take long before both of them realized they wanted different things. Until then Miyeon’s been single, save for the few one-night stands Minnie catches leaving her apartment before heading out to work at the same time. 

As for Minnie, she dated…once. But it was only in high school, she dated some girl who was a bit older than her and they ended things once the other girl graduated and went to study overseas. 

“T-there’s nothing wrong with it.” She blushed, taking another long sip from her can. “But then I’d have no one to hang out with.” 

“Awwww,” Miyeon smiled, and Minnie faked a gag. “You have the other girls you know that right?” She was referring to the gang of doctors they were eating lunch with earlier today. 

“It’s different—” 

“Not really,”

“Really? Every time I go to Shuhua’s, she forces me to play PUBG with her and I suck. And every time I hang out with Yuqi it always ends with someone being drunk or someone losing one of their shoes.” She recalled the time where the young doctor took her out to a hip night club where things didn’t end very well, she spent the rest of that night fishing her heels out of a mall fountain. 

“Fair,” she nodded in agreement. “We’ll just both be single forever. But I guess it’s fine if I’m with you.”

_ Thank god. _ She really dodged a bullet. Minnie didn’t know what she’d do if Miyeon started seeing someone else. That was probably unhealthy, but she ignored it. She thought of it like this: if Miyeon wasn’t seeing anyone, she was in no rush to confess her feelings. 

They finished the rest of their dinner in silence, both chowing down on the greasy food the other had brought them. It was times like this where Minnie could close her eyes and clearly imagine a life with Miyeon, a life with her in her arms. Minnie was tasked with cleaning up since Miyeon paid for the food, the ophthalmologist wondered around her empty place. 

Dumping the empty paper containers in her trash, she felt a faint breeze brush across her face. Looking up to see Miyeon smoking a cigarette and enjoying the rest of her beer on her balcony. 

“It’s cold,” she brought out one of Miyeon’s hoodies that was lying around and draped it over the other girl’s shoulders.

“Thanks,” she took another puff from her cigarette before letting it hang loosely from her middle and index finger. 

Minnie was waving smoke away from her face, not too fond of the smell. Miyeon had been smoking ever since college—she tried to stop sometimes, but it always circled back. Seeing Cho Miyeon with a cigarette in between her fingers wasn’t an uncommon sight to behold, more like a comforting memory. 

Taking a sip from her newly opened can of beer, she handed one to Miyeon as well. Both silently staring out at the dimmed night stars, the cars below them shined brighter but this was somehow still special. 

“I remember when we were just bright-eyed and bushy-tailed college seniors, still interning and not working yet.” Miyeon reminisced. “Now we’re old ladies.” She bumped their shoulders slightly, grinning again. 

“Aish,  _ you’re  _ old, I’m only 24.” 

“Minnie-yahhhhhhh, what should I do?” She whined, groaning into her arms that were propped up on the railing. “I’m so lonely.”

_ Am I not enough? I guess not.  _ Then again they weren’t dating, she chugged the rest of her beer, coping with the fact that she was a big coward.  _ I bet she doesn’t feel the same way about me, anyways. _

“So date.” Her face was devoid of any expression, voice thick and heavy-hearted.

“Really? You think I should?” Miyeon turned her head towards her, her big puppy dog eyes pointed at her—melting her facade. “I don’t know, I’m kind of out of practice. I wouldn’t even know where to start…” She trailed off. 

“It’s your life, Cho Miyeon.” She turned her head the other way, unable to make eye-contact. If Miyeon saw the look in her eye’s she’d be done for. 

“Hmmmm, I don’t know…” Miyeon changed the subject when she felt Minnie distance herself. “What about you? It’s been a while since I’ve ever seen you with someone.”

_ Because I’m a dumb loser who’s lost in you. _ “I’m not very good at dating.” Which wasn’t a  _ complete _ lie, Minnie was sure she would suck at it since she was already in love with someone else, the girl that was standing right next to her. 

“It’s cold, lets go inside.” Miyeon stomped out her cigarette, linking their arms and bringing them inside Minnie’s apartment. “Your cheeks are red.” 

She pressed the cold pads of the thumbs into Minnie’s cheeks, pulling her to make forced eye contact with her. They were so close Miyeon could hear Minnie’s heart race. 

“Cute.” She removed her hands and let Minnie take a step back.

_ Jesus Christ! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? _ She internally screamed as she recycled their empty cans. 

They called it an early night, Miyeon leaving shortly after—but not before whispering goodnight in her ear, making her all red-faced and panicky. She almost lost it there, almost fully got down on one knee and straight-up proposed to her. But she had dignity, of course…Or at least she thought she did.

Unable to rid herself of the thought of Miyeon dating someone other than her. Tossing and turning in her sleep, the only thing on her mind being that damned girl. 

_ Cho Miyeon, you’re going to be the death of me.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I really like reading this story and I'm glad to hear other people liking it as well. 
> 
> You guys can follow [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg) I post updates there :)
> 
> Also, feel free to leave messages on [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/AKUMA_jpg) I really like responding and interacting with you guys!


	3. "Organ transplants can be very dangerous, but I'd give you my heart anytime"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this fanfiction is roughly based on this amazing fan art I came across. If the artist ever reads this, I love your work and it's very inspiring. [The Twitter Art Post](https://twitter.com/jooosaweee/status/1300737956668301313?s=20)

Waking up with a dull headache from the drinking the night before and Yejin sitting on her chest was not as pleasant as she thought it would be. His tail ticking her nose and waking her up with a groan, she got up. Making her way to the kitchen to make herself some tea to soothe the explosion inside her head and get ready for the weekend ahead of herself. 

There wasn’t really much she could do on her days off. With her family all the way in Thailand and a very small circle of friends, Saturday and Sundays were filled with silent solitude. Sometimes she would visit the park and just sit there, basking under the winter sun all huddled up in her puffy jacket. Or sometimes she would just sit out on her terrace and stare at the sky for hours, in a way to destress her brain that worked 24/7 on weekdays. 

But sometimes, if she was lucky, Miyeon would invite her and Yejin over for a movie marathon, a spontaneous snack run, or simply because she was just feeling lonely. That didn’t seem like the case this weekend because if so, Miyeon would’ve already been knocking on her door. 

Almost as if someone above, some divine being, was listening above, her doorbell rang. 

Tearing herself away from the slowly boiling water on her stove, she slowly padded to her door. Being greeted with the sight of 3 idiots standing outside in the hallway. 

“What?” She said, her voice drained of expression. 

“I thought you’d be more excited to see us, unnie.” Yuqi rolled her eyes, gesturing to the food she brought in her hand. 

“We’re here to turn that permanent frown upside down!” Shuhua had a look of determination, her right arm linked with Soojin’s left. 

“Hi, unnie.” Soojin simply greeted. 

“Fine,” she sighed in defeat, moving aside to let the young doctors brigade into her apartment. 

“Wow, your place is  _ way _ cleaner than Shuhua’s.” Yuqi amazed.

“Yah! It’s not that dirty these days, I try these days.”

“Haku sleeps on an old pizza box—” Soojin tried to say before the young surgeon shushed her. 

“Where’s Soyeon?” Minnie asked about their company senior. 

“She got called in for an emergency screening,” Yuqi informed. 

“Isn’t that your job?” She pointed to Soojin, eyebrow quirked. 

Soojin was an emergency medical specialist, having trained as one for 4 years. When she was a little girl her parents died in a car crash, they would’ve survived if competent medical professionals had tended to them, but they didn’t. So she spent her school days with her nose in a book, life dedicated to being there for people in need. 

“Nah, some special procedure I can’t perform.” She had already started rummaging through Minnie’s empty snack shelves. “Do you have and Pepero?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be there to monitor Soyeon’s work?” She squinted at Yuqi, who was raiding her fridge for drinks. 

“I only monitor scheduled practices, unnie.” She said, voice directing straight into the bare fridge. Thinking hard before grabbing 3 bottles of water. 

“What are you doing this weekend, unnie?” Shuhua was already at the table, unpacking the food they brought. 

“Well, I  _ was _ making tea—”

“Where’s Miyeon-unnie?” Soojin cut her off.

“Somewhere.” Her response was short. 

“I’m surprised she not already here, you guys are practically attached at the hip.” Shuhua finished unpacking the utensils, leaning back in her seat. 

Shuhua wasn’t wrong, in her defense, Minnie often blamed it on the fact that she and Miyeon had known each other for so long. At this point, they just naturally just gravitated towards each other; that’s just how it’s always been. The order was: Soyeon joined the institution before all of them, Minnie and Miyeon going into training under it a few years later, Soojin then joining, Shuhua following not too far behind, and lastly, Yuqi joining as a junior trauma surgeon. 

“I guess she’s busy.” Minnie shrugged. 

Yuqi gasped, “But a Minnie without a Miyeon is like butter without toast! Without butter, it’s just bread!” 

“Is unnie thinking about dating again?” Soojin carefully guessed, watching the sheer terror come to life on Minnie’s features. “Ah, she is.”

“Unnie, why don’t you just ask her out already?” Shuhua pushed.

“Because it’s more complicated than you’d imagine.” She sighed, pressing her cold fingers onto her temples for relief. 

“What’s so complicated about it?” Soojin turned to her, eyebrows furrowed. “You two obviously are in love with each other.”

“No, she is not. I’m sure Miyeon doesn’t feel that way. It’s like saying, why don’t you confess to Shu—” Soojin nearly tackled her in the kitchen, with one of her hands covering her mouth harshly before she could even finish her sentence. 

Shuhua rolling her eyes at the display happening in front of her. “Unnie, how do you know she doesn’t like you? You’re literally all she talks about. It’s all ‘Minnie this’ and ‘Minnie that’.” 

“I don’t know, I just do. If she liked me she would’ve already said something.” 

“Oh, like you said something?” Yuqi bit back with sarcasm heavy in her voice. 

“Yah, that’s different.”

“How so?” Soojin crossed her arms, getting off the tired doctor. 

“I’m done talking about this.” She gave up, joining Shuhua at the table. 

Much to her surprise, the topic wasn’t brought up again. They enjoyed their brunch in peace, each of the girls catching Minnie up with their lives. Shuhua was working hard on the operating table and had remained deserving of the title “magic touch”. Soojin and her emergency response team have been working graveyard shifts and lately, she’s become more tired, sleeping in her office and at Shuhua’s (she claims it’s only because the Taiwanese girl lives close to work). And Yuqi has been working hard studying and paying attention so Soyeon’s advice. 

Walking the girls to the door as they were making their way out, she spotted Miyeon coming back from the gym. Hair pulled up into a neat ponytail and legs clad in workout leggings—she still managed to take Minnie’s breath away. She was surprised Miyeon even worked out, how could she? When she was an avid smoker, these things Minnie already knew. But she did know that Miyeon  _ hated _ exercise. So much that in college, Minnie has to drag her outside just to make sure her muscles didn’t dissolve into jelly. 

“Oh, hi unnie!” Yuqi chirped, immediately latching onto the older doctor. 

“Hi, Yuqi-ah.” She seemed out of her element, albeit, out of breath too. “I didn’t know you guys were coming over.”

“I didn’t know either.” Minnie was still standing at her door, facing the outward hallway. 

“Well, we’ve got to get going now. See ya, unnies!” Shuhua winked at Minnie before dragging Soojin to the elevator and Yuqi trailing after them. 

The both of them standing across from each other now, Miyeon gave her a chaste smile. There was so much she wanted to say, but it felt like there was a physical barrier blocking her from reaching Miyeon. Every time she wanted to say those 3 little words, her throat would dry up, block her from getting it all out.

“I-I, um—”  _ I can’t say it. Kim Minnie, you coward.  _

“Wanna come over tonight?” Miyeon suggested instead. “We could watch a movie or something.”

“Sure,” she turned to head back into her house, she didn’t catch the cute smile on Miyeon’s face as she turned around. 

___

Truthfully, she sort of planned her entire day around Miyeon. Waiting around until it was that time where she’d got to knock on her door, and Miyeon would invite her in. There wasn’t a force strong enough on the planet that could pull her away from Miyeon—she would always be nearby. 

She was there during Miyeon’s first successful operation, she was there for Miyeon’s first failed operation, she was there for Miyeon’s promotion, she was there for Miyeon’s many sleepless nights spent at the hospital. With the both of them sleeping on the couch in her office passed out after finishing their grueling paperwork. 

Those memories together will be immortalized in her heart and her heart alone. There was a great darkness that resided in her the back of her mind since last night when Miyeon brought up the prospect of finding a partner, saying she wanted to start seeing people. That darkness warping into the feeling that they were running out of time. Like she only had a little Miyeon left before she had to inevitably let go of her childhood crush. 

But she wasn’t just a childhood crush, she was a first love. Whether or not they were together romantically didn’t matter to her, all that mattered was that they’d be together in the end. That’s why it was so important to her that Miyeon didn’t leave. 

Petting Yejin on the head before leaving out the door, feeling a bit empty-handed knocking on her pretty neighbor’s door in the afternoon on a Saturday. There was no answer… She tried ringing the doorbell and waited for a couple of minutes before she heard the lock click. 

“Jesus Christ!” She moved her arms up to cover her eyes.

Miyeon thought it was a good idea to answer the door in nothing but a towel around her. Minnie’s cheeks burning bright in embarrassment. 

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you the first time I was in the shower.”

“I can tell!” She screamed, hands still over her eyes, peeking a bit. The other girl’s hair still wet and dripping onto her welcome mat, grabbing Minnie’s arm and pulling her inside before one of their other neighbors saw them. 

“I’ll be right back,” Miyeon announced, the sound of running water coming from the steamy bathroom, turning to go back to her shower.

“Miyeon!” The other girl’s towel slipping, flashing her and making her scream. 

“Sorry,” she laughed, closing the bathroom door behind her. 

_ Oh my god, I’m definitely going to hell. _ She was still blushing, grumpily sitting down on Miyeon’s well-worn couch. Miyeon’s house was all very…Miyeon. Everything colorful and warm, a variety of odd-looking house plants and cacti placed around, a large faux cow print carpet brushing the undersides of her feet in the living room, and an 80-inch flat-screen sitting in front of her. Her door was closed, but Minnie committed the image of Miyeon’s room to memory. Clothes spewed everywhere, contrasting Minnie’s neatly folded clothes sitting in her dresser back at home, sheets on a blanket that never got made—she was convinced Miyeon never learned how to make a bed, perks of being a rich kid—and pictures hung up all over the walls. 

In actuality, Minnie was a pretty boring person. The only thing, or person, that got her to open up, try new things, and live a little, was Cho Miyeon. This wild girl, an only child coming from a pretty well-off family, brightly introducing herself to her in freshman year of college at orientation was when her life had changed its course. 

Just this weird rich girl who had never lived a life outside her little concealed bubble, wanting to experience anything and everything life had to offer. They were dorm roommates, Miyeon excited to live with someone in the same room for the first time and Minnie was just trying to make it through her classes so she could afford to feed herself. 

If it wasn’t for Miyeon dragging her to do anything that looked mildly interesting, Minnie wouldn’t have all these crazy memories. Memories of the two of them getting chased out of some fancy sushi restaurant for feeding the live fish rice, or drunkenly passing out on the roof of her dad’s expensive apartment building, or when they stole that dog test subject that their professor was going to cut up. Minnie wasn’t Kim Minnie without Miyeon. 

And as pathetic as it was Minnie was too chicken to ask her out. Sure in every reality, Miyeon would say yes a million times. But that 1% chance that she’d say no and things would be ruined forever irked her more than she’d like to admit. She was afraid that Miyeon would say no and leave, and Minnie didn’t know if she could really emotionally handle her leaving her. 

“Sorry I took so long,” Miyeon returned, hair still a bit wet, dripping onto her clothed shirt. She was searching her fridge for drinks as she would normally do when guests were over. 

Handing her a can of hard seltzer, “Drinking two days in a row can’t be healthy.” Minnie grumbled, still accepting the drink. 

“Preach it, doc.” Miyeon teased, downing her drink beside the Thai girl and flicking the tv on to put on some show. 

That evening was detailed of Miyeon and Minnie finishing the whole entire case of drinks and getting hammered watching horrible kdrama on tv. 

“Kiss her you pussy!” Miyeon slurred at the tv. The main character was still hesitating to ask out the main girl, for the 5th time in a row this episode. How  _ familiar _ .

“Yah! This isn’t anything like it is in real life!” Minnie angrily pointed at the tv this time, drink in her other hand. 

“Pray tell how you know what romance is like in real life?” Miyeon leaned on her slightly, smelling heavily of alcohol and cheeks representing the stereotypical Asian glow. 

“I know stuff!” She defended.

“Psh, yeah right. I bet you’re still a virgin!” Miyeon tended to get rowdy when she was drunk, Minnie only challenging her further.

“I-I’m not a virgin! I’ve had plenty of sex!”

“Oh yeah? With who?”

“.....”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Miyeon smugly sat in her seat, crossing her arms.

Minnie defeatedly slumped back in her seat. The main character finally getting the girl, entrapping her in a dreamy on-screen kiss.  _ Barf. _ She hated seeing this, these artificial and forced straight couples  _ every _ time; it was exhausting. Why couldn’t the gays get something good? Minnie was tired of rewatching the handmaiden’s tale over and over again just for some sapphic representation. 

“They don’t even kiss well. You gotta get all in there.” Minnie explained. “That was just a peck, nothing steamy.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was in the presence of a smooching master.” Miyeon made big gestures with her hands, sarcastically.

“I mean, even I could kiss better than that!” She was really getting heated over this scene. “This show sucks!”

“Watch it, this is one of my favorites.” Miyeon warned.

“You actually like this garbage? Damn, I thought you had more refined taste!”

“Yah! Kim Minnie, you little virgin, I bet you’ve never even experienced anything like this.” She tackled her friend, the both of them falling deeper into the couch. 

“Still! True love isn’t like that!” She tried to untangle herself from the drunken girl’s arms but it was no use. “They’re supposed to love each other! They couldn’t have spiced it up a little?”

“It’s not a porno, it’s day time tv, Minnie-ah. What did you expect?” Miyeon rolled her eyes, still on top of the other girl. 

“It isn’t realistic at all.”

“Oh yeah? What is realistic then, huh?” Miyeon was really pushing her buttons on this one. It was common for the two to get into their usual squabble, and Miyeon was simply defending one of her favorite shows in the face of Minnie’s harsh criticism. 

“U-uh,” she was formulating a response.

“Come on, get it out.” Miyeon finally got off of her, crossing her arms again. 

Too drunk to really piece together a well-antiquated argument, Minnie thinks with the very little brain she has. 

She does something atomically dumb, something otherworldly. She grabs Miyeon by the front of her shirt, yanking her impossibly closer. Until their lips are firmly pressed together. Her cheeks to hot you could cook an egg on them. Miyeon tilting her head to deepen the kiss and even slip her tongue in there.

It takes her a minute, to finally realize what she was currently doing. Snapping back to reality and becoming painfully sober, she immediately backs away from Miyeon. Slapping her hand over her mouth and squeezing her eyes shut for a brief moment, hoping that this was all a dream and not something she actually did. 

But alas, Miyeon had fallen asleep in the midst of their makeout—if you’d even call it that—passed out. Head leaning on her chest as she slept and Minnie was trying not to bash her own head into a wall. 

Carefully laying the other girl on the couch and dashing out the house carrying her shoes in her hand. Shutting her apartment door and leaning her back against it, her heart was still racing. Knowing Miyeon’s drinking habits, there was a small chance she wouldn’t remember what happened the night before, but Minnie was so sober that the realization of her action was in full effect.

_ I might have just single-handedly fucked up our whole relationship. _ She slapped herself on the forehead.  _ You couldn’t have kept it in your pants?! _ She scolded herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I love reading your guy's comments and you can leave me messages on [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/AKUMA_jpg) I love answering them! <3
> 
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	4. "You should take my temperature because you're making me very hot!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A close look at how Soojin first met Shuhua. This chapter takes place B.Y (before Yuqi, since she joined the institution last). Just to clarify, that means only Soyeon, Soojin, Miyeon, Minnie, and Shuhua are in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooooooooooooooooooooo! Happy New Year! Its been a great past year with all of your support and love, I hope to right many more fics in 2021 with your support :) enjoy <3
> 
> This chapter is based of [This Post](https://twitter.com/jooosaweee/status/1249738290485329923/photo/2)

Her whole was life dedicated to her profession, her hands covered in blood, her heart racing in her chest. This isn’t how she expected her work to turn out. Seo Soojin was often too hard on herself. Rushing to the bathroom, tears welling up in her eyes as she slammed her hands down on either side of the ceramic sink, whole body shaking in regret, shame, anger, frustration. It was hard for her to accept that she couldn’t save every life, so unbelievably disappointing. It was her job, it was her job to save people and she felt like she had failed. 

Seo Soojin was only 12 when she lost both her parents, after dropping her off at school they had gotten into a big accident with a colliding cargo truck. They were rushed to the hospital but there was nothing they could do about their condition. She was so angry for so long, staying with her grandparents and studying until she had deep eyebags, working so hard to be that doctor that was dependable, that doctor that could save lives in the way previous ones couldn’t. 

Only when she was met with a solid brick wall was she hit with the realization that sometimes there was really nothing she could do. She had worked her whole young adult life to fight against the nature that was death, only for her to find solace in disappointment. Rarely maintaining a healthy social life in high school she also came to terms with her sexuality. Now she was sad  _ and _ gay—but her grandparents loved her regardless. Coming out of school as one of the top students, she was immediately accepted to join one of the best emergency response teams at one of the best hospitals, Seoul Medical Center. 

All the sleepless nights and graveyard shifts were worth it when she was saving lives. Whether it be just small cases like someone getting the flu or spraining an ankle to major car crashes or police shoot outs, Soojin was there. She earned her spot as team leader after 2 years of busting her ass repeatedly, not a single lost case. Until it all got a bit much. 

There was a bar fight. Well, it was a bit more of a bar fight, more like involvement in the mafia. Either way, innocent bystanders were injured and the civilian intake was at an all-time high. From tending bullet wounds to patching up knife gashes this was the most hectic night she had ever seen. It took all of her just to push her and her team through the rest of it. But there was one person who was suffering from fatal internal bleeding, so fatal that he wouldn’t make it if they didn’t act fast enough. 

They had to call in someone else, “We don’t have the resources to support him, we need to transfer him to the ICU.” One of her members informed her, all tried and frantic looking. 

“We need to notify them to set up a team for an emergency operation.” She sighed, quickly moving to the phone to call in her request. 

She and two other doctors wheeling him through the empty hospital corridors in a hurry, the surgeons would be here soon, until then they needed to prep the patient. The whole situation was tense, she probably gained 20 grey hairs from the experience alone. Letting herself finally breathe once she saw doctors dressed all in blue walk in a hurried step. She recognized a couple of faces, Jeon Soyeon, ace surgeon, and…someone new. 

Said doctor stood shorter than her but taller than Soyeon—which wasn’t an impressive feat considering her senior was really short. There was an indescribable expression on the girl’s face, eyes cold and discerned, brows furrowed in concentration while in the operating room, and hands that had the precision of a robot. 

Needless to say, the patient was going to make it and she would be able to sleep at night, bowing at the retreating surgeons as they left the operating room, foreheads sweaty and saggy eyes. The same doctor’s lingering stare was left imprinted on her as she shook her hand, but Soojin didn’t think much of it as she fell asleep in her office after the night’s debriefing. 

Her name was  _ Yeh Shuhua _ , she read on the medical documents laid out on her desk. The doctor’s ID photo attached to the paper with a small paperclip. Shuhua had an eye-catching c, enthralling look to her, eyes that looked like they’ve seen a million things, the cute little mole on the right side of her cheek, and bone structure that looked crafted by the gods.

_ Yeh? That’s not a Korean name. Is she from overseas? _

“Soojin,”

She didn’t hear, her eyes were still drawn to the picture.

“Soojin,” They waited a couple seconds. “Soojin!”

“Y-yes!” She snapped out of it, head violently whipping around to see Jeon Soyeon waiting at the base of her opened office door. 

“We need you for the meeting,” Soyeon eyed her suspiciously. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, just didn’t get much sleep since last night—”

“Shuhua?” Soyeon snatched the paper she was looking at. “She’s the new rookie on my team, she pretty good.” 

“O-oh,” trying to pretend as if she wasn’t just staring holes into her picture. 

“Man, these kids straight out of college are insanely motivated. Reminds me of when you first joined 2 years ago, reminds me of myself before I got old.” Soyeon laughed. 

Soyeon and Soojin joined the institution at the same time, Soyeon being the lead trauma surgeon and Soojin being an emergency medical respondent at first. The two were ambitious women, dead spent on helping people that drove them to new heights. 

The two gliding down the halls in their white coats, she opens the conference room door for the both of them. Inside were a couple of surgeons discussing paperwork and other cases, her own team members relaxing by the coffee cart, eyes tired and bodies sluggish. 

“Alright, now that everyone’s here we might as well start.” Soyeon clapped her hands together, getting everyone’s attention—everyone’s except for Soojin’s. Soojin was staring at Shuhua from across her, she was even prettier in person. Pale skin and a porcelain complexion, she looked delicate in every way. 

“I guess that’s enough coverage for today, we have a few patients in intensive care right now but other than that it seems we haven’t lost anyone. Good work everyone,” Soyeon concluded, doctors left and right—including Shuhua—filed out of the room. Leaving just the two of them, Soyeon rolled her eyes at the medical specialist acting coy. 

“What?” She returned. 

“Care to tell me why you were drooling over one of my Hoobaes.”

“I was  _ not _ drooling.”

“You were practically undressing her in your head.”

“Yah! I was not!” She groaned, covering her face with her two hands.

“Just be careful, she just got here and I don’t want you to scare away one of my best surgeons because you’re being all weird.”

“How was I being weird? I haven’t even said anything to her.”

“That’s the point, some scary Sunbae intimidatingly staring at her for no intended reason is gonna spook her.”

“But there was intended purpose, she’s pretty.” Her voice getting impossibly quieter. 

“All I’m saying is—”

“I’m sorry, but are you guys all done in here?” Miyeon popped her head in, glasses perched precociously on the bridge of her nose. “The ophthalmology unit is scheduled for a meeting in 10 minutes.”

“Ah—Yeah, we’re done.” Soojin gathered her papers. 

“Take care,” Soyeon’s hand went Miyeon’s shoulder, as the two departed. 

“See you guys later?” She stood and asked.

“Mhm,” Soojin hummed. 

Taking in Soyeon’s advice, she stopped thinking about Shuhua. As hard as it was, she didn’t really know anything about the newbie. Going back to her office to take another nap before her graveyard shift later that night. 

Walking to the cafeteria, she felt out of it, having woken up from an accidental 4-hour nap. Her stomach was grumbling loudly as she tried to make it to the lunch tables where her friends were sitting. When she first joined, she immediately clicked with Soyeon, Soyeon then introducing her to Kim Minnie, a passionate pediatrician that was one older than them. And Minnie was often seen with her other half, Cho Miyeon. Miyeon was a meek older woman who acted cutely to all her friends, always there to cheer them on. 

But there sat a 4th body, someone she didn’t recognize from behind. Grabbing her food tray and making her way over to the table, 3 familiar heads shot up to look at her. 

“Oh, there you are, I was about to call you.” Minnie looked up from her bowl of ramen, Miyeon clinging to her side. 

_ God, why don’t those two just date already? _ It was true, Minnie and Miyeon were basically a married couple, disgustingly cute together all the time.

“And we have someone new joining us,” Miyeon chimed in, scooting over to Soojin could pull up a chair. 

Then, she saw her, and almost dropped her tray. It was Shuhua, in the flesh, up close, sitting in front of her. 

“Hello, Sunbae.” She politely bowed. “Yeh Shuhua.”

“H-hi, I’m Soojin.” God her face was red hot. 

“Shuhua was telling me earlier that she went to Korea National University for studying.” Soyeon chirped, digging into her rice.

“Our rival!” Miyeon yelled out childishly, all in good fun.

“Where did you go to college, Soojin-ssi.” Shuhua looked at her curiously. 

“S-SNU, you can call me unnie.” She tried her best to smile without looking like she was dying inside.   
  


“Yeah, these 3 knuckleheads went to SNU, but I went to Korea University.” Soyeon huffed out in pride. 

“S-so you’re a surgeon?” Soojin was trying to calm down and get to know the girl in front of her. The other three going off in their own conversation. 

“Yeah, in the cardiothoracic unit.”

“One of the best too,” Soyeon cut in before continuing to focus on Minnie’s rant about lollipop flavors, Miyeon intently listening. 

“Aha, I only just started. Doing a couple of operations here and there when Soyeon calls for us. Last night was my first one of the week. Glad it went well.”

“Yeah, you were amazing—I-I mean you  _ all _ were a-amazing.” She stuttered.  _ Soojin pabo! _

“You’re an emergency respondent, right?” Shuhua leaned forward a bit and tilted her head in curiosity, obviously not phased by Soojin’s awkwardness. 

“Yeah, a medical specialist—”

Soyeon’s phone violently buzzing on the lunch counter top interrupting all ongoing conversations. Her eyebrows furrowing as she squinted at the caller before picking it up. “Hello?.. Yes…Yes, I understand, I’ll head there with a team right away.”

“Is everything okay?” Miyeon never ceased to let go of Minnie’s arm.

“We got called in for a rescheduled operation, Shuhua we need to go.” Soyeon’s professional demeanor on as she dragged the younger girl away from their half-eaten lunch. 

___

Soojin found herself wanting to know more about the young surgeon, thinking about her as she laid awake in her silent, cramped apartment. With very little knowledge of who Yeh Shuhua was, she left the rest up to her imagination.  _ What was her favorite color? What is her favorite movie? What type of music does she listen to? _ Just that image of a hyper-focused Shuhua at the operating table that night. The thoughts and questions kept rolling in by the dozens before she realized it was already 4 in the morning and she had a shift in 2 hours.

Savoring those last two hours of peace she had before she needed to be on her feet, she got up from her bed. Looking around, her apartment was completely white. Except for the furniture that came in a light grey color. Before Soojin lost her parents she would’ve considered herself a brighter person. She loved to dance, her parents coming to her little recitals and cheering for her in the crowd is one of her fondest memories. But after their funeral, she fell into a deep hole of inescapable depression. Her grandma had always wanted her to become a singer, but she was hell-bent on being a doctor. 

Throwing the covers off her cold body, she pushed herself up. Routinely slipping on her blue uniform scrubs and a puffy jacket, she headed to the bathroom to freshen up. Staring at the mirror with a frown was nothing new, Soojin was a pretty girl, just too busy to even care. With the little mole resting under her left eye and the deep eyebags that followed she even wondered if the younger version of her would like who she had become. She went out and pursued her dreams, but why wasn’t she happy? Like there was a hole that resided in her chest, the hole that was carved out by her parent’s absence. Nonetheless, she carried on with her day. 

The sky was gray and dark as she walked down the street to her usual bus stop. Then she saw a now-familiar girl with her nose in her phone standing under the little seating area where others waited for public transportation.

“Shuhua?” She didn’t mean to say it out loud but the other girl had already heard her name called.

“Oh! Soojin-unnie, I didn’t expect to see you here.” God, Soojin never failed to forget how pretty she was up close. 

“Yeah, I live nearby. You?”

“Well, I think I’m at the wrong stop.” Her eyebrows furrowed, looking down at a map on her phone. “I accidentally went in the wrong direction. The one thing about moving is getting used to a new area.” She sighed.

“Just follow me and we’ll get there in no time,” she ushered the young girl towards the oncoming bus. 

“You’re a lifesaver, unnie!”

Shuhua was wearing an expensive-looking brown overcoat paired with a simple backpack resting on her shoulders, with scrubs underneath that matched the very ones she was wearing. Dangling on the bottom edge of her phone was a cute little cherry keychain, one that resembled the little cherry themed pen Soojin always kept in the breast pocket of her uniform.  _ What a strange coincidence. _ She thought to herself as they sat together. 

“So you’re new to this area?” She felt a lot more relaxed now that it was just them, away from her teasing friends. 

“A little new to all of Korea actually.”

“Really?” Come to think of it, Shuhua did have a little accent when she spoke, nothing too noticeable though. Not one that someone could pick up on unless they focused really hard. 

“Yeah, I came to Korea to study for the last two years of uni. I’m originally from Taiwan.”

“Wow, I didn’t even notice. Your Korean is so fluent.”

“Thanks!” She winked at Soojin, making the ladder blush. “Took a lot of hard studying and practically a million kdramas to sound semi-native. After graduating, I was offered a position here and decided to stay instead of going back to Taiwan.”

“Hmm,” Soojin hummed as a sign that she was listening deeply.

“And of course that meant I needed to move a little closer, hence why I got lost.”

“Haven’t you been working here for a little over a month?” Soojin raised one of her eyebrows.

“True! But Soyeon’s been picking me up every time since I live really close to the hospital. But I finally decided that didn’t want to be a burden so I started taking the bus.” Shuhua was a surprisingly bright person compared to how serious she looked during office hours, wondering how such a sweet girl decompressed all her stress and worries from working as a young surgeon. 

“I see,”

“I got kinda lost yesterday but just time for the morning meeting, it’s all been very stressful considering I suck with directions.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, where’s your stop?”

“Right here actually,” she pointed, the bus coming to a halt as the doors opened and people flooded in. “I live just up there.” 

Oh, Shuhua lived in a rather expensive building for being a kid just out of college. One more expensive than the one she lived in, actually. This only made Soojin wonder about the type of family Shuhua came from, she knew Surgeons tended to make a lot more than people in her division but Shuhua had only been working here for a little bit. 

“How’s this, you wait at your stop until I get here and we can go in together. That way you won’t get lost.” Soojin was a practical person, she didn’t even realize she made the other girl blush as she had earlier. 

“Thank you, unnie. Means a lot.”

_ Oh. _ She was a goner, that look, those eyes, there’s no way Soojin couldn’t fall. Both of them exchanging goodbyes before carrying on with their respective jobs they didn’t see much of each other after that. Soyeon and Shuhua busy during lunch, ordering food to their offices in order to get work done in time to go home, and Soojin worked. 

But for the small amount of time they did see each other, she basked in her presence. Today’s traffic was particularly bad, giving Soojin enough time to actually talk to Shuhua. 

“Why did you want to become a doctor? At such a young age too.”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “Don’t you find it fascinating? The heart and all of its components. There’s something about it that makes it so complex and so overwhelmingly simple at the same time. Plus it’s not easy to be a surgeon, so I always like a little challenge.” Today she was wearing a different expensive-looking coat, with her long black silky hair down, a little bit of lip tint to accentuate her features 

“Sheesh, you make it seem like you woke up and decided to be a heart surgeon. Like it was that easy.” Shuhua wasn’t like a typical doctor, she didn’t flaunt her intelligence and look down on others that weren’t on par with her profession. Instead, she treated everyone sweetly, even playing along with Miyeon and Minnie’s childish ways during the small window of time when they interacted.

“Well, how about you? I don’t see a lot of people our age wanting to be emergency doctors.”

“Aha, I guess you’re right. My parent’s passed away I’ve always wanted to help people to try and prevent situations like mine.” She had gotten used to talking about the topic over the years. Time made it lighter and less of a killjoy in retrospect. 

“I’m sorry,” Shuhua rested her hand on top of hers. “You’re doing an amazing thing, you know. Saving lives is a selfless job.” She smiled. 

Oddly enough, something in them shifted as they got to know each other. Soojin learned that Shuhua was an only child back in Taiwan and was the youngest in their little friend group. The more they were around each other, the more Shuhua gravitated towards her. She pretended to hate it, Shuhua’s open affection, hugs, and attention was something she wasn’t used to, having been left alone and choosing to be left alone for 10 years. 

“Yah, Shuhua-ya watch it.” Shuhua was clinging to her in the halls, bumping their shoulders together playfully.

“Unnie! So nice to see you it’s been  _ ages _ .”

“I saw you this morning.” She rolled her eyes as Shuhua continued to squeeze the life out of her.

She just enjoyed being by her side, whatever that even meant—she didn’t really know. Dropping by Shuhua’s small closet-sized office to bring lunch when the younger girl forgot to eat in between operations, Shuhua doing the same for her when she had late shifts and to work the next day. Sometimes even staying over in the younger’s massive apartment when she was too tired to drag herself all the way home.

Shuhua was nice, sure Soojin pretended to be disgusted by her outright contagious greasiness, but deep down inside she was glad she met her. They were currently splayed out on the Taiwanese girl’s couch, watching some sappy tv show where the female lead kept crying for no apparent reason. Shuhua was passed out, head laying on her shoulder after working a 4-hour emergency transplant that day. Usually, this level of closeness between them in public would make her uncomfortable but Soojin found out she didn’t mind it. The rest of the night spent together.

“Why don’t you two just date already?” Minnie was pestering her on their 15-minute break. The older girl was looking through the random things in her office while she was typing away on her laptop.

“Because, I don’t like her like that.”

“Psh, yeah right. I see the way you look at her when you think no one notices.”

“Why don’t you just date Miyeon-unnie then? You two have been friends for ages and—”

“Hey, this isn’t about me. Don’t try to change the subject. You know she likes you, right?”

“She doesn’t.” She kept her head down.  _ There’s no way someone like her would like someone like me. We’re too different. _

“You’re literally all she talks about ever.” Minnie deadpanned. “It’s always  _ ‘Jinjin this’, ‘Jin-unnie that’ _ .” She imitated the younger puppy-like girl in question. 

Jinjin was a special nickname Shuhua called her, the first nickname she had ever been given. The first time she called her that Soojin went home later and screamed in her pillow out of cuteness—like a teenager in love. 

“Stop,”

“Listen I know you’re supposed to be all cold and mysterious but I know she loves you. It would be good for you to have someone like Shuhua.” She went on. 

“Can we please move on from this? Minnie, it’s not gonna happen. I-I don’t like her like that.” She lied.

“Oh, I guess I read things wrong then.” Minnie looked dejected, she was happy for the two, but only for a moment. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable—”

“It’s fine, can we just move on?”

Maybe it was that she hadn’t been loved like this in so long that made it scary. She really did like Shuhua, and maybe Shuhua liked her too. But the thought of that is what made it so much more to fear. What if Shuhua got hurt like her parents did? What if Shuhua left? What if things didn’t work out and she ends up breaking her heart? These things outweighed the goods, she thought about it a million times, but the fantasy of them being together never left the dark planes of her mind. 

Bidding Minnie a goodbye as left to clock out, she sat in her chair, head clear of thoughts. Life was hard as it was, she didn’t need another person to be burdened by her strife, her emotional baggage, she would much rather keep all deep inside than let someone in. 

“Unnie?” She saw Shuhua peek her head in the darkroom. “Are you in here?”

“Yeah,”

“The lights are all off,” Shuhua frowned, coming in to flick the bright lights on. Her hair still up in a ponytail, probably coming straight from the operating room as she smelled heavily of disinfectants.

“I forgot to turn them on,” her voice hollow. She hadn’t even realized the sun had set, too focused on her work.

“Have you eaten yet?” 

“No,”

“Good!” She smiled. A smile that spread warmth through Soojin’s heart all the way to her cheeks. “I brought take out.”

“What would I do without you, Shuhua-ya.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Don't forget to leave Kudos!
> 
> You guys can follow me on [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg%22).
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	5. "My love for you is so strong it can’t be dialyzed"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HIIIII please stream our girl's new comeback [HWWA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3szNvgQxHo) They worked very hard and personally I really like the song :) You guys can talk to me about the album, this story, or really just anything on [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/AKUMA_jpg) Enjoy reading this update!

The next day, Minnie avoided Miyeon to the fullest extent, which wasn’t that hard considering she was swamped with work. With the flu season coming around the corner, she had an overload of patients coming in to get their last-minute shots in order to brave this season’s illness. Adorning a trademarked medical mask as she deals with a particularly ill patient experiencing symptoms, she bends down to fasten the mask on them. 

“If you get all better by your next check-up, I’ll give you a present!” She made sure the side string of the mask was securely on the toddler’s ear. 

“Really!?” The little girl she was tending to said, wide-eyed. 

“Yes, so get well soon!” She led the little girl out of the hallway to reunite her with her mom, who just so happened to be talking to a very familiar eye doctor, animatedly at that—Miyeon.

“Thank you again, Dr.Kim.” Her patient’s mother bowed before leaving with her kid. Just the two doctors standing in the waiting area dumbly. 

The two of them forced to exchange pleasantries, Minnie’s not even sure Miyeon remembers what happened last night. Needless to say, Miyeon still greets her with a smile dripping in honey, so sweet it makes her sick to her stomach. 

“Minnie-yah, hope you’re not skipping meals…” The ophthalmologist warned, jabbing her in the ribs with her pointer finger. 

“Aish, I’m not.” She winced, Miyeon linking their arms as she dragged her to the mess hall for snacks. 

“You, my friend, look like you need a nice bowl of ramen.” She soothed, noticing Minnie’s deep bags from tossing and turning all night. 

“This is just an excuse for  _ you  _ to eat more ramen,” she rolled her eyes as she let the older girl take her wherever she pleases. 

“Going on a date, you two?” Soyeon asks, passing by.

“Ramen!” Miyeon smiles at their senior.

“No!” Minnie feigns innocence, face turning bright red. 

_ Those two... _ Soyeon shakes her head. 

___

“Yah, you two, you’re due in 30 minutes. Why aren’t you in your uniforms?” Soyeon caught Shuhua and Yuqi talking about some show that was on last night. 

Soyeon deciding to take in two disciples this year was a…choice decision. She had already been working with Shuhua a year prior and she had to admit the kid was talented. Yuqi, on the other hand, made for good competition, as she was hardworking, to say the least. Where Shuhua brought precision and accuracy, Yuqi brought brute force and fast thinking. Probably not the best when working together, but they haven’t lost a life yet.

“On it, Unnie!” Yuqi jumped up before getting ready, where Shuhua just bowed before leaving. 

Inside the operating room, the tension was so thick one could slice it with a knife. The patient was due for  Carotid endarterectomy, one of Shuhua’s specialties. Yuqi, on the other hand, was still a bit squeamish when it came to surgeries and held it together since the scalpel started cutting but now it was getting a bit much. She was still a junior, set on watching her seniors perform and help with procedures, leaning in to help Shuhua assess the situation. But there was some blood splattering and she froze. 

Shuhua, unknowingly carrying on with the task at hand, ignores the unmoving girl at her side. Luckily, Yuqi didn’t stay like that forever, moving more off to the side in order to calm down before helping out more. Soyeon going in to clean up after the main bulk of the work was finished, they concluded this as another successful operation. All the surgeons filing out of the room one by one, Yuqi silent the entire time. 

Her blue plastic gloves stained a sickly crimson color, the Chinese girl took a deep breath before leaving to wash up. She felt dizzy almost, the smell of sanitizer making her sick, the bright fluorescent lights blinding her. She needed to calm down before she started hyperventilating in the middle of the operating room. Leaving to clear her head and wash up. 

“Oh, there you are,” Shuhua was sitting on the couch outside of the sanitation area, lollipop hanging out of her mouth. “What took you so long?”

Plopping down next to her close friend, she let out a deep sigh. Shuhua knew she was only just getting used to it all, having seen it all in textbooks, nothing could’ve prepared her for the real thing. She was trying hard, she really was, but the blood made her clam up. 

“I was just cleaning up after—”

“Wanna go get something to eat?” The Taiwanese girl interrupted her. 

How Shuhua could eat after something like that was beyond her, there’s no way she could stomach something like that. Holding the bile rising in her throat just thinking about food as she silently nodded in response, Shuhua dragging her to an unknown location. Soojin’s office, she should’ve known the younger girl would be drawn to her unnie, who was working at her desk. 

“ _ Jin-ah _ , want to get lunch with me and Yuqi?” Shuhua popped her head in to look at their senior who’s nose was deep in paperwork. 

“Miyeon and Minnie are already there, Soyeon said she’s on her way.” Soojin got up and—silently—agreed to eat with the pair. Shuhua clapping her hands together excitedly before linking her and Soojin’s arms.

What an odd relationship those two had, Yuqi thought to herself. Shuhua consistently doting on the older doctor, Soojin ignoring her, and Shuhua getting annoyed and joining Miyeon in on spoiling Minnie instead. Soojin getting all pouty the next day until Shuhua pays attention to her again. She had made some weird friends since coming to work in Korea this past year.

___

The night was cold, that’s all it ever was, nothing in the sky changing. Miyeon pressed her fingertips against her lips, remembering that kiss. At first, she thought it was all a dream, waking up on her couch at 8 am with a blanket draped over her shoulders. It took her a while to realize where she was and why she was in her living room with the tv still on. With little instances of Minnie lying around her place, like the little folded crane on her coffee table, she was able to piece the night back together. The small shaped pieces of paper all over her house that Minnie liked to play with when she was bored, she kept it all. 

Groaning into her hands as she recalls last night’s activities. She  _ knows  _ Minnie, she knows the other girl is going to over complicate things and act all weird. She’s been trying to drop hints that she wanted Minnie to ask her out ever since they started hanging out. 

When she first spotted her in a cafe, she thought she was cute. Shooting to ask her for her number, Minnie instead used their impromptu “date”, as Miyeon would call it, as a study session since she found out they were in the same anatomy class. Minnie was so innocent and naive, when they were in college it took everything in her power not to just pinch her cheeks all the time. Now, everything might just be ruined if Minnie decides to back out.

At first, Miyeon didn’t think the other girl felt the same way, she was just so upfront and obtuse when it came to her flirting. Hell, Miyeon didn’t even know Minnie liked girls until 1 year into their friendship when some guy in their literature class tried to ask her out and she declined. But come to think of it, Minnie never dated anyone, not even when Miyeon was dating Sana. She just assumed that the younger girl would get tired of waiting around for her and find someone else, but no, Minnie was always there. 

She didn’t know how she held it in for so long, 6 years and Minnie has yet to confess to her. There were times where she thought,  _ fuck it, _ and almost said it first, but she held her ground. It was an odd pipe dream of here for Minnie to say she loved her first. She didn’t know when she figured Minnie out, but she did. Either it was that time Minnie ran out in the pouring rain just to pick her up after a failed date with some pretty senior that asked her out. Or when the Thai girl stayed by her side when she caught the flu, only to get sick a week later in return. 

_ “Why do you do it?”  _ She was moved to ask once.

_ “Do what?” _

_ “Stay by my side.” _

_ “Because if I didn’t, you’d be alone.” _

_ “That’s not true.”  _ She laughed to lighten the mood, Minnie’s tone was soft and serious. 

_ “Fine, I guess I just have nothing better to do then.” _

_ “Yah! I’m plenty of fun!” _ Miyeon teased as the two girls continued to play around.

Hugging her knees to her chest, she was still in her scrubs, shoes abandoned somewhere near the entrance of her office. Minnie was starting to distance herself from her, she felt it. Everything was a mess and she was still hungover, having just gone through 3 hours of back-to-back appointments; she was tired. Her eyes growing heavy as her head lulls back onto the plus couch she was on. She just wanted Minnie to finally ask her out, knowing she’d get gray hairs before the other girl does.

___

Thinking that Miyeon didn’t know what had happened, Minnie felt a lot lighter. Planning to visit the older girl right now, actually. She was dead tired, it was 9 pm and she still hadn’t eaten, planning on inviting her to dinner. Her resolve all but withering away when she opened her office door to see Miyeon sleeping in an awkward position, craning her neck in a way that made Minnie cringe at how it would feel in the morning. 

Caught between waking her up so the both of them could eat or letting the poor girl sleep, she sat down next to her instead. Carefully moving Miyeon’s sleeping head onto her shoulder in hopes that her neck wouldn’t be in pain later, she sat. Stretching her arms out and yawning, it was oddly warm in Miyeon’s office—comfortable almost. Not until she felt her own mind drifting off did she realize how dead tired she was; to the point where the thought of getting up off this very couch seemed impossible.

The sleeping eye doctor’s hand blindly moving around in Minnie’s lap, she interlocked their fingers in order to stop her mindless patting. Just as she remembered, Miyeon’s hands were a bit smaller than hers, slender fingers wrapping around to touch the top of her hand, brushing her thumb across it unknowingly. Minnie’s breaths became slower as the darkness of the quiet office room soon absorbed her, eyes sliding shut to join Miyeon in her sleep. 

She had a calm feeling in her gut, one that told her that she never wanted to leave this moment right here. Embracing Miyeon with her side as the other girl just simply leaned on her and snored softly, filled with a sense of something she knew she’d never have—Miyeon. Because she, Kim Minnie, was a coward. Too afraid of rejection at this point she’d rather sit off to the side and watch Miyeon leave her than to have caused it by her own hand. 

Soyeon making her rounds before heading home for the night, when to drop off some lat minute request papers at Miyeon’s when she opened the door and saw the two’s display. Eyes looking down at their hands.

“When did you two start dating?” She muttered as she set her papers in a neat pile on her desk full of chaotic forms. Oh, if only she knew the answer to that. Kim Minnie, you better get your shit together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you can, I'd greatly appreciate if you could support me and donate to [My ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/akuma_jpg)
> 
> You can also follow me on [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg) where I post updates!  
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	6. "Am I attracted to you or is it just volatile blood sugars?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time... over the course of this week kpop twitter has turned into a rising shit storm. I encourage you guys to stay away from negative content and continue to support OT6!  
> I've been writing this chapter for a while now and decided we all need a little break to escape from this hellfire of news. Enjoy

Waking up was always a hard part in her mornings and trying to find a reason to leave her warm blankets was even harder. But this is what she wanted, she wanted to save lives. Why again? Well, she couldn’t quite remember. The rush and euphoric feeling of taking care of others was incomparable to anything else on the planet, but one that left her feeling so hollow afterward. Maybe there was just something wrong with her. Something wrong with her insides, the way they wrenched at the memory of her parents, her childhood, her job. Or maybe she just needed a day off. So that’s exactly what she did—she called in sick.

“Yeah, I’m not feeling well.” She lied, letting the receptionist know she wasn’t going to be clocking in and for patients not to contact her.

Groaning into her pillow, the one thing that surely got her out of bed was the compelling hunger in her stomach. Feeling confident enough to shuck her blankets off her body and swing her feet over the edge of her bed. She moved to scavenge through her empty fridge, nothing but a couple of eggs and a stock of green onions inside, surrounded by half-empty water bottles.

_ Ramen it is. _ She thought to herself as she moved to her cupboard with a single egg in her hand. It was coming close to that time again, that one day that happens every year, that one day that haunted her for her entire life. Her birthday. Now that sounded a bit dramatic, and Soojin was no anti-natalist. On her 12th birthday, little Soojin had spent the entire year practically begging her parents for a puppy, going so far as to even make a presentation slide-show in an attempt to convince them. 

And as a surprise, they went to drive out to a puppy adoption center in the Gangseo-gu prefecture on her birthday. Dropping her off at her grandparent’s place as they sneakily went to go get her gift. Unfortunately, that was the last time she saw them. The TV turned on in her grandparent’s living room, the news of a huge crash collision displayed on its screen—her parent’s never made it back. She hated that she still missed her parents, part of her was angry at them for leaving her so soon, but there was nothing that could have changed that. She hated that she couldn’t forget about the past to the point where it hurt her in the future. 

But every bit of resentment turned to sadness within time, it wasn’t their fault, it wasn’t her fault, she just needed to let go sometimes. Every birthday past her 12th was spent at her parent’s respective plots located in the Seoul funeral home. Her grandparents had long stopped accompanying her to their graves, not wanting to carry the heavy burdens she does. Death was a sad thing, why she still reminded herself of it constantly was jarring to her grandma—and on her birthday nonetheless. 

Uttering the same old excuse she said every time her grandpa asked her why she still went,  _ “You need to honor the dead in order to cherish the living.” _ But she didn’t, she didn’t cherish life—well at least not her own—keeping someone alive felt like such a chore. At this point, having worked grueling hours in the infirmary, her job has taught her many things. One, you either fear death or long for it, two, nature is a cyclical force that cannot be stopped by any means, and three, things, illnesses, problems do not simply go away no matter how hard you push; there are some things in this world that just cannot be avoided. She learned that after having to let a couple of people go, something that was beyond her power was altering human physical condition. 

Sitting on the floor of her living room and setting the steamy ramen on her coffee table, she mustered up enough strength to lift her chopsticks. By the time she finished, it was already 2, not realizing how slow she was actually moving. It felt as if time itself had completely stopped, like she was trapped inside her head for eternity, trapped with this same feeling she couldn’t describe. Sometimes she could deal with it, sometimes it was unbearable, she felt suffocated like there was no escape from this vicious cycle. 

Staring into her now-empty bowl for what seemed like hours, she was hungry again. She couldn’t eat another bowl of ramen, that was her last pack. Groaning as she leaned on the couch placed behind her, her whole life felt like this one moment. Being so hungry but having nothing to eat. The feeling of having to eat instant ramen every other night, alone, was nothing out of the norm for her. 

With the aggressive raps on her front door, she got up. Peeking through the 1 cm hole in the center of it, she spotted a familiar face, “Shuhua?” 

“Soyeon-unnie told me you weren’t feeling well.” The distressed-looking surgeon raised the back of her hand and pressed it against her forehead to feel for a temperature. “Doesn’t seem like you have a fever. I just wanted to stop by to see if you have eaten, remembering you live near a pretty good soup place so I picked up some—” 

The Taiwanese girl rambled on and Soojin just stood wondering how she knew where her complex was, “H-how did you get here?” 

“I asked Minnie-unnie and she sent me your address. You really had us worried you know, though it was something serious.” She huffed, letting herself in to set the take-out on her dining room table before shedding herself from her light coat. 

_ Worried? _ They were worried about her? Soojin was the type of person to wear her heart on her sleeve, the way all her feelings were splayed out like an open book. It wasn’t a surprise that the girl’s felt like walking on eggshells whenever she was in a bad mood. But this was the first time someone had actually come to her house to see if she was okay. 

Shuhua was bold, that was for sure. But she had begun to see the bolder side of the younger girl, from the various times they’ve spent together. 

Stretching her arms out, she pulled the younger girl into a hug. She smelled like disinfectant and cherry lip balm. Breathing in her scent as she tightened her hold around her. 

“Oh Soojinnie, you must really not be feeling well.” Shuhua deduced as the older girl never initiated touch between them. “Can you let go for a sec, I gotta heat up this soup.”

Soojin trailing after the smaller girl like a child, she wanted more hugs. After eating, they retired to the couch where Shuhua was trying to show her the new drama she started watching, the two entangling their limbs in a fight for warmth. With her arm around her shoulder and Shuhua sitting in between her legs, she had a hard time focusing on the episode. Pinching the Taiwanese girl’s plush cheeks while she tried to explain why the main character in the story was doing whatever was on screen. 

The next day was easier, she felt lighter. Actually being able to get out of bed with ease and slip on her uniform. Adorning her hospital badge around her neck, she locked up her apartment, heading to the stop to meet Shuhua. 

“Feeling better?” Shuhua asked her once they were seated inside the somewhat empty bus on their way to work.

“Yes, thank you Shu,”

“Any time! But next time you’re feeling sick just call me, okay? So that I don’t have to go wandering the ICU floor asking people for your home address.” She shuttered. “People probably think I’m an axe murderer now.”

Making her rounds, she made sure everything was still intact from when she left. Normally, Soojin hated these tiring procedures but for some reason, she walked with more pep in her step. 

“Something happen?” Minnie circled from behind her, pen resting on the side of her lips. 

“Hmm? What makes you say that?” All her focus turned on to the paperwork she was filling out at the receptionist counter, her foot tapping rhythmically against the white tile floors. 

“You’ve been smiling all day.” The Thai girl poked her in the ribs with the tip of her piglet-themed pencil. “Considering your birthday is coming up.”

“Nothing happened,” she rolled her eyes. 

“Oh really?” A sly grin crept its way onto her face. “So your happy-go-lucky mood has  _ nothing _ to do with the fact that Shuhua—”

“Shuhua?” The girl in question popped in, having just gotten out of a surgery briefing. “What about me?”

“Ahah ahahha, nothing!” Soojin laughed nervously, shoving Minnie by the shoulder as a warning to not say anything stupid. 

“I thought I heard my name,”

“Minnie was just talking about…uh…how well you’re uh…getting familiar with your colleagues since you’re new here.” She sweat trying to formulate a substantial excuse. 

“Oh,” Shuhua chirped. 

“Speaking of which, Minnie and I are late for a…uh—meeting. Yeah, a meeting.” She grabbed her unnie by the arm, dragging her all the way to her office. 

“Smooth, Seo.” Minnie chuckled looking at the panicked woman slumping down into her office chair.

“Can you knock it off already? It’s getting unprofessional.” Soojin scowled, her hands intertwined on top of her desk.

“Unprofessional? You wanna talk about unprofessional, Soojin?” Minnie scoffed. “I’m not the one giving my junior heart eyes. Plus what’s the harm? If you two like each other just date.”

“You’re one to talk.” She mumbled.

“What was that?”

“I find it funny you’re giving me this advice when in fact you and Miyeon have been stuck in the friend zone for  _ years _ !” She winced as she said it, maybe she went a little too harsh on her. 

“I’m a coward, I know. But I’m trying, I’m trying to get better.”

“Then how about we place a bet, so we can get off each other’s backs,” Soojin recalls plenty of times where she berated the older girl to just ask Miyeon out on a date. 

“A bet?” Minnie’s eyebrows raise in interest and intrigue. 

“Whoever confesses first wins.” She stood up like she had just come up with the greatest idea yet.

“Wins what?”

“I don’t know,” she scratched her head.

“A car!” Minnie jumped, slightly scaring her.

“A car?”

“Whoever wins, the other person has to buy the winner a car.” Minnie put on a mischievous smile. 

“Uhh, I-I—Fine!” She stuttered. 

“Then it’s a deal!” Minnie grabbed and shook her hand strongly before exiting her office in a hurry before Soojin realized how royally screwed the both of them were. 

It only took a couple of minutes for everything to come in full circle, “Oh shit!” 

She panicked, pacing back and forth her small office like a madwoman. That meant the both of them had to confess quickly or the consequences would be buying a car for the other. Soojin really did not have that much money at her disposal and if Minnie chooses a sports car—like she knows she will—she won’t be eating for months, _ years _ .

The problems to weigh in her head were: confess her feelings to this amazing woman whom she had recently met, or buy a Lambo for her idiot friend. She swears she almost pulled out her checkbook before slapping herself on the arm.

_ No! Soojin you can do this! It’s not that hard, just…just ask her on a date. Yeah! Ask her on a date, that’s all. And then guess what? Free car. Soojin, you can do this. _

Easier said than done, instead of asking the woman she had so helpless fallen for, she ended up walking the isles of the nearest grocery store with her. She couldn’t help it! Every time she tried to ask her out the words wouldn’t come out and Shuhua would change the topic. 

“Hmm, are tangerines in season?”

“They’re always in season,” Soojin replied, too busy with the idea of having to buy a car weighing on her mind. 

“You don’t say,” Shuhua grabbed a whole bag of small cuties and put them in the cart she was dragging along. 

_ I’m screwed. _

___

Minnie walked out of Soojin’s office before she could return to her’s to finish her meltdown. Gliding through the halls, her shoes squeaking against the pristinely clean tile before entering her bigger office and closing the door shut. 

_ I CANT BUY HER A CAR! WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING!? _ She scolded herself. 

Hearing soft raps on her door, she gathered herself before opening it for whoever was trying to see her. 

“Miyeon?” She looked down at the girl waiting outside her door, she held a folder of papers against her chest with one arm.

“Minnie! Here’s you’re monthly report, the director wanted me to drop off since I was already headed out.”

“Oh, already?”  _ This is your chance Minnie, now’s you’re chance! _ “Wanna get dinner or something?”

“Tonight?” Miyeon looked at her forlornly. “I can’t, I have a date.”

_ A date!? _ Trying her hardest not to explode, “A date?” 

“Yeah…” There was something in her voice that made the air around them teemingly uncomfortable. “One of Soyeon’s friends, from school.” 

“I see,” she tried not to let her disappointment show. 

“Um, I’ve gotta go now,”

“Have fun on your date,” she tried to put as much positivity possible in her voice when she said it, but it just came out sad and pitiful. Making Miyeon look at her with her big eyes, almost like she was trying to say sorry with her gaze.

Watching Miyeon’s retreating figure leave down the hallway, she bit her lip and went back inside her office, closing the door shut and leaning on it. 

_ Fuck. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please don't forget to leave kudos
> 
> You guys can follow me on [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg)  
> Or leave me messages on [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/AKUMA_jpg)
> 
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	7. "Wanna go study some anatomy?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a double update bc the story is getting juicier and I wrote this chapter in one day... 
> 
> TW/// mild smut  
> There's mild smut in the beginning if you want to skip that or it makes you uncomfortable go right ahead.

Swirling the drink her wine glass, Miyeon was stuck listening to another one of her date’s work stories. She took her to some fancy steak house and purchased them an overpriced bottle of wine—the works. She hadn’t gone on a date in  _ years _ , she’d almost feel nervous if it wasn’t for the liquid courage sitting in her cup and traveling down her throat as she sipped it. 

Jiwon was a lawyer, wearing a rather expensive-looking pantsuit to their dinner, Miyeon was sure she made a heavy income. She was a nice, pretty young woman, 3 years younger than her but surprisingly mature. They got along, Miyeon audibly laughing at most of her jokes, it was hard to say she wasn’t swayed by this charming woman. Jiwon was pretty, her long auburn hair was swept up in a high ponytail, with her sharp and elegant features making it hard for Miyeon to look away.

They continued their casual first date talk, she talked about her job, her interest, a few that they shared. Jiwon was very career-oriented, professional, and Miyeon was more easy-going, calmer. They made a good match, Jiwon was a talker and Miyeon enjoyed listening. 

“I had a great time,” Jiwon was leaning against her car, a sleek Ferrari. They were just outside Miyeon’s place. 

Slightly red-faced, from all the wine she consumed, she only blushed more. It’s been so long since she’s felt the embrace of a romantic partner, “Wanna come up?”

Not to toot her own horn, but there was little possibility of Jiwon saying no. Miyeon looked absolutely stunning in her casual evening dress, lips painted red and hair down and flowing past her shoulders, collarbones out on display. 

“I’d  _ love  _ to,” 

Leading to a string of fleeting kisses, Miyeon dragged her up to her apartment. Her mind far too cluttered to realize in actuality what she was doing. Not while she was busy with her tongue down Jiwon’s mouth and the younger girl’s leg pressed in between her thighs, the both of them making out behind Miyeon’s closed door. 

She was drunk, she was definitely drunk. Pulling Jiwon to her couch and further straddling her, sucking on her neck as she felt the other girl’s hands start to pull down the zipper on the back of her dress. 

Said dress then dropping on the carpet behind them, Jiwon moved on to undoing her bra. Groping her breast, Miyeon held onto her head as she moaned into the empty space of her apartment. Jiwon’s tongue licking up the swell of her breasts before latching onto one of her nipples while the other hand squeezed its twin. Releasing a hot breath and moaning out, it was hard for her to control herself. Letting herself indulge just this one time, Miyeon let her take the lead. 

Oh, the things this woman could do with her mouth was down sinful, only when Miyeon found herself being pushed down onto her bed did the fun really start. Jiwon was still semi-clothed, her blazer long forgotten in her living room, with her shirt popped open a couple of buttons to reveal her own lacy bra that made Miyeon’s mouth water. 

Jiwon had a great body, she stood about 3 inches taller than her and had a figure that made her blush thinking about it. With a toned abdomen and firm muscles, Miyeon found it rather attractive to grip onto the girl’s strong shoulders as she thrust her fingers into her, turning the doctor into a moaning mess. 

The lawyer pressed her fingers into her thighs, pulling them apart and throwing them over her shoulders. Miyeon’s back beginning to arch, just before Jiwon quite literally dug in… 

She woke up in bed, with a raging headache. Realizing the result of her actions, she groaned out loud, the sun’s bright fury nearly blinding her as she forgot to close her blinds last night. No, she was far too busy with other things than to remember to close her blinds. The woman she spent the night with snoring against one of her pillows. Looking over her shoulder at her sleeping form, she saw the full brunt of her doings. Red lipstick practically everywhere possible, littered Jiwon’s body. 

Getting up to the bathroom to fetch some Advil—a little sore too—she looked at herself in the mirror.  _ God. _ Hickies covered themselves all over her neck and breasts, a few on her thighs, the remnants of her lipstick smudged on her face, and her hair messy.

_ Shit. _

She really doesn’t know why she feels as guilty as she does. If anything, she should be jumping up in joy over how she finally met someone suitable for her. But instead, it felt like she had done something unspeakably dirty.  _ Why though? _ It’s not like she cheated on anyone, she and Jiwon were both single and looking for partners. They just so happened to make a good match. Then why did it  _ feel _ like she was cheating? 

Slipping on an oversized t-shirt and some shorts she went to her kitchen to brew some coffee that would hopefully raise her from the dead. But feeling strong arms wrap themselves around her waist and pull them against her body from behind, she hesitated. Jiwon burying her head into Miyeon’s hair, she enjoyed this overwhelmingly domestic act of affection. 

Mustering up all the dignity she had left she tried not to stutter, she asked, “Coffee?”

“Hmmm, I would love a cup but I have to meet a client soon.”

“Leaving already,” she pouted, turning her head to meet Jiwon’s sweet smile. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy the younger girl’s company, her presence in her all but lonely and isolated life. 

“I’m sorry, I’ll call you. Have a good day.” She left a fleeting kiss on her cheek before moving away to gather her thrown blazer on the armchair in her living room before leaving out her front door. 

She didn’t know what to feel. To feel happy or sad. Having finally met someone or finally giving up on Minnie.  _ Minnie _ . The constant presence in her mind, always in the back of her mind. But she wasn’t dumb, she knew Minnie would never come forward. And she didn’t want to be the one to confess first because that’s how everything between them’s always been. Miyeon reaching out first, wanting to be friends, wanting to hang out, wanting to be together. Everything felt so one-sided and forced for her like she was the only one trying; everything between them was started by her, she even wondered if they’d be this close at all if she didn’t move to put effort into their relationship. The whole thing was so stupid, she was getting frustrated over how meek Minnie was being, how childish it was for the other girl to be too afraid to even tell her how she felt. 

Sometimes she wanted Minnie to just grow up and ask her out. She was so tired of waiting, she wasted 6 years of her life waiting for Minnie. 

___

Minnie was planning on leaving for work earlier, she wanted to leave work earlier to go shopping for a birthday present. Soojin’s birthday, and as much as she hated it, was coming up. She knew Soojin wouldn’t ask for anything, but regardless Minnie would still buy her something. Soojin was a sad soul at that, Minnie planned on adding her own colorfulness to her life, being her duty as a friend. 

Buttoning up her coat before heading out her door she spots an unfamiliar woman exiting out of a very familiar apartment. Looking a bit disheveled, an attractive woman in her mid-20s left Miyeon’s apartment, her dress shoes clacking against the wooden hallway floors. 

_ I’m guessing Miyeon’s date went well. _ She tried to think positively, but the thought of them together made her sick to her stomach. 

Unfortunately, the two had to take the elevator down together; she really didn’t feel like walking down 6 flights of stairs this early in the morning. 

“Ground floor, right?” The woman asked her after the both of them were concealed inside the snug elevator. 

“Yes, please,” Minnie forced out, bowing her head as to avoid eye contact with her.  _ Why her? _ She thought. That same phrase bouncing off the walls in her head as she carried on with her morning. 

Practically sprinting out of her building to get out of the same area as Miyeon’s date. It only got worse from there, when she showed up to work and had 3 back to back appointments and evaluations to attend. Being on her feet for 6 hours straight before she made her way to the cafeteria to possibly re-energize herself with some food. 

Spotting her usual group already sitting down, she took a seat next to Yuqi, whose nose was deep in her operation feedback notes. Miyeon was sitting across from her, next to Shuhua and Soojin. The Ophthalmologist was wearing a black turtleneck underneath her scrubs, her hair done up into a low bun. _Odd_. Miyeon never wore turtle necks.

“Oh, Miyeon-unnie, how was your date? Jiwon’s nice right?” Soyeon brought up, stirring her coffee with a wooden chopstick. She finally engaged in the conversation after helping Yuqi with her questions. 

Miyeon visibly stiffened in her seat at the mention of her date, Minnie praying to all the lords above that it didn’t go well—despite seeing that she had stayed the night after.

“Good, Jiwon’s nice.” She kept it short, obviously uncomfortable. 

“That’s it? Just nice?” Shuhua prodded. “Common unnie, it’s been ages since you’ve dated someone and all of a sudden you finally say yes to someone Soyeon’s set you up with. It  _ had _ to be good.” 

“Shu,” Soojin nudged the surgeon in the ribs, noticing how distraught Minnie and Miyeon both looked. 

“She was nice, she took me to an expensive restaurant and I invited her up to my place after.”

Yuqi and Soyeon’s eyes widened upon hearing that information. Yuqi closing her little notebook, “Really? Miyeon you sly dog!”

The oldest girl’s cheeks immediately reddened at Yuqi’s comment, looking down at her soup bowl instead. 

“I didn’t know you had it in you!” Yuqi howled in a bashful tone, making Shuhua giggle. 

“I gotta go,” Minnie announced, she thought it was probably better than just getting up and leaving. Either way, she couldn’t stay here, she needed some fresh air. “I forgot I still have work to do.”

She got up and brushed off Soojin and Miyeon’s worried glances before making a quick escape for the stairwell. 

“Minnie, wait.” Soojin grabbed her arm and pulled her around, they were currently trapped in the small stairwell. “Slow down, where are you going?”

“The roof,”

“The roof!” Soojin panicked. 

“It’s not like that,” she reassured her. “I just need air.”

“Oh, I’ll come with you then.” Soojin opened the door for her. 

“I swear, I was just about to ask her out,” Minnie whined, burying her face in her hands. “I was so close.”

“Ha! Yeah right, you and I both know you would’ve backed out last minute.” They were both sitting cross-legged in the middle of the open area, it was brisk outside. 

“Fine,” she admitted, defeatedly. “But maybe a part of me was thinking that if Miyeon really liked me she’d have already asked me out.”

“What if she thinks the same thing,” Soojin stated bluntly.

“Huh?”

“What if she’s waiting for you to ask her out.” 

“Ahah, you’re funny Soojin. No, but really, that’s one of the main reasons I still haven’t told her.”

“.....”

“Miyeon’s never shy, if she likes someone she’d tell them. Hell, the only reason we’re friends is because she decided to sit next to me on lecture back in college. It’s only taken me this long to figure it out, if she had feelings she would’ve said something by now. She’d have to! Right?”

Minnie was rambling like a madwoman, Soojin could see the desperation in her eyes. In all honestly, Soojin didn’t really get it. It’s not like Minnie was as socially inept as her, she was a very open person. Her unnie would always be playing around, flirting with Miyeon, or talking animatedly to other staff. She didn’t realize how insecure the older girl was about being rejected. She was shocked to find out that Minnie had never dated anyone, all her relationships staying purely plutonic. 

“I don’t know what happened, I don’t know.” Minnie cried out. 

“Have you ever thought about seeing someone else?” Soojin knew it was a stupid question to ask. It was like asking her if  _ she’d _ date someone instead of Shuhua. 

“Why the hell would you ask that?” Minnie looked at her, irritated. 

“Well, you can’t wait forever.”

“I don’t know.”

Sighing as she decided to drop the topic, she looked up at the sky. There were a few clouds, it’d surely rain later this week. 

“How are things with Shuhua.”

Soojin laughed at how her friend could ask her about her life while her’s was in the middle of a literal crisis, “Good, I’m  _ almost _ there. We had dinner last night.”

“Fuck, I’ve gotta buy you a car too now, huh?”

“Yep!” She laughed. “I’ve never had a car before…”

“Can you even drive?” The Thai girl asked.

“Nope.” 

“Great,” she deadpanned.

___

Surprisingly enough, Miyeon didn’t take her car to work today. Really not in the mood to sit in traffic hungover, she called a cab instead. Seeing Minnie’s face only justified her feelings of guilt, sitting in her office feeling just as shitty as if she were to have 100 hangovers at once. 

_ Why do I even feel bad?! Because I like her? And she probably likes me too? She never even made an attempt to ask me out! Then she kissed me! What’s with the mixed signals?! Then she looks all sad at the mention of me dating someone! I’m not going to wait around all my life Kim Minnie! _ She internally screamed, slumping back in her seat. 

Going through her meetings with this still on her mind she stacked the last of her papers and clicked her piglet pen close and grabbed her lighter. She needed a smoke, on these nerves all day practically had her shaking. 

Finally entering the night coolness of Seoul, she lit the end of her cancer stick, feeling its contents warm her insides with every exhale. Letting her shoulders sag, she looked up at the dark sky, the cigarette still ignited between her index and middle finger. 

Her head was a mess, she didn’t know why and she didn’t want to know why. She had finally found the perfect someone and all she could think about was someone else.

Hearing a loud engine rev in front of her, she lowered her gaze. In front of her was a familiar sports car.  _ Jiwon? _ Waiting until the driver got out and appeared in front of her. Jiwon was wearing a long coat, her professional lawyer clothes underneath. 

“Need a ride?” She stepped out in front of her, cordially with a big cute grin on her face. “I believe I owe you for skipping breakfast.”

“How did you—”

“Soyeon let me know you took a taxi here,” she stepped closer, probably because it was cold or probably because she just wanted to be closer to Miyeon. “Wanna get dinner?”

Stamping out the remnants of her cigarette she shoved her hands in the pockets of her white coat and tilting her head up at the taller girl. Jiwon seemed to be really taken by her, already offering to go on a second date—the day after the first one at that. 

“Sure, let me just go up and quickly grab my things.” She leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before turning back into the building. Making sure not to shy away from physical contact.

Returning clad in her own long overcoat to protect her from the cold and her bag slung over her left shoulder she smiled at Jiwon, who was still waiting in the cold for her reappearance. Grabbing her hand she laughed, breaking the ice between them, Jiwon looking down at her fondly as she opened the passenger’s side door for the older. 

Miyeon felt herself smiling so hard she didn’t even Minnie was there the whole time, sitting in her car parked parallel to them. Watching as the young couple left together; leaving her all alone in the now-empty street. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please don't forget to leave kudos
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**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, the story isn't _supposed_ to get very angsty but I did write it so it may...get moody. This story is roughly based off this twitter post I came about recently [This post](https://twitter.com/jooosaweee/status/1249738290485329923/photo/1)
> 
> Don't forget to leave kudos :) 
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> You can follow me on [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg) I will post chapter updates for this series under the hashtag #IIMD 
> 
> You can also leave me messages in [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/AKUMA_jpg) my cc is really dry :')


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